Every Emotion

 Psalm 150  Praise for God’s Surpassing Greatness

1Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

   praise him in his mighty firmament!

2Praise him for his mighty deeds;

   praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

3Praise him with trumpet sound;

   praise him with lute and harp!

4Praise him with tambourine and dance;

   praise him with strings and pipe!

5Praise him with clanging cymbals;

   praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

6Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

When I meet with folks who are dealing with emotions that overwhelm them, I often tell them to look in the Psalms. There, one can find every human emotion imaginable. There are psalms in which the writer is expressing frustration and anger at God; there are psalms in which the writer is expressing gut-wrenching anguish and pain; AND, there are psalms in which the writer is expressing his/her questions about God’s presence in their life. I find comfort in the fact that anything I experience has a place, and that God is big enough and gracious enough to care about every part of my humanity.

Today’s reading is Psalm 150; the final psalm. After 149 others that express every human emotion imaginable, the book of psalms ends with pure, unadulterated praise. It’s praise for a God who wraps every human experience in his love – it’s praise for a God who refuses to leave us on our own.

Thanks be to God!

Prayer:

God of surpassing greatness, we give thanks to you for being big enough and gracious enough to wrap all of our human experiences in your love. Amen.